Can You Hear Me Now? Goooood!

by Tim Werbstein, AIA, CSI, CCS, SCIP,
ARCOM Senior Architectural Specification Writer

No matter where you are communication is important, and wireless communications can give immediate connectivity. The now famous "Verizon Wireless" ad campaign makes this point real. But what if you don’t have a cellular phone or it’s broken or not charged?

The need for public telephones and their related telephone specialties has declined rapidly due to intense competition from cellular phones, but you can never be heard without a telephone and a service provider. The continuing role for the public telephone is as a safety net for those without cellular phones, low-income people, victims of domestic violence who cannot call from home, the homeless, those in correctional facilities, and everyone affected by the failure of wireless services during emergencies.

MasterSpec Section 101700 (10750) - Telephone Specialties has been updated for currently available accessory products used for public-telephone installations. These products are classified in the Section Text as telephone booths, sit-down telephone booths, wall-mounted telephone enclosures, pedestal- mounted telephone enclosures, wall-mounted telephone housings, outdoor telephone boxes, telephone kiosks, and telephone-directory storage units. The terminologies vary among manufacturers and are designed for installation in indoor public spaces like hotels and airports and at some outdoor locations. Most booths and enclosures are used for public, pay telephone installations, although data terminals incorporating interactive communications can also be installed. Booths and enclosures provide varying degrees of acoustical privacy and separation from pedestrian traffic, with full or partial enclosure of the user.

Telephones for public use include pay telephones; house telephones; and building, campus, or roadside emergency telephones. The telephone itself is also called a telephone set or telephone device. Telephones and TTY equipment are not included in the Text in Section 101700 (10750) because they are usually supplied by the local telephone company or bought by the Owner under a separate contract. Data terminals and interactive communication devices can be supplied by a service-provider company or bought by the Owner. Shelves for portable TTY equipment are included in the Section Text.

The term TTY is an abbreviation for teletype-writer, which is equipment that employs interactive, text-based communication through the transmission of coded signals across the standard telephone network. TTY also refers to devices known as text telephones or TDDs (telecommunication display devices) and to computers with special modems.

Standard telephone models durable enough for public use are few, but the telephone-specialty manufacturer needs to know the model to furnish adaptors, if needed, for installation in the telephone accessory. For pay telephones, the Text in Section 101700 (10750) lists two common models that may or may not require an adaptor for installation: the Millennium, manufactured by Nortel and later by QuorTech; and the 120-type, by GTE. Consult the owner or telephone provider for model.

Pay telephones, also called payphones or pay stations, require immediate payment for operation; payment is most often made by coin, credit card, or debit card. The telephone can be provided by the local telephone company that maintains and collects the money from it, perhaps paying some share to the building Owner or municipality. For busy private locations, such as hotel lobbies, the building Owner can purchase telephones and keep the profit generated. Besides telephones, interactive communication or data terminals can be installed to provide directory assistance, Internet access, and other software applications. 911 calls, house phones, and emergency telephones generally require no payment for operation.

Accessibility standards established under law mandate standards to ensure that public telephone facilities are accessible to people with disabilities. Minimum design requirements are included in the U.S. Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compliance Board’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities and in ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. The 2006 International Building Code (IBC) requires compliance with IBC requirements and with ICC/ANSI A117.1. The ADA-ABA Accessibility Guidelines and ICC/ANSI A117.1 are referenced in the Text in Section 101700 (10750), so the user can retain either or both. The requirements include spatial, reach, and floor-surface requirements for wheelchairs and TTY requirements for deaf persons. The requirements in both standards are almost identical.

ACCESSORIES BY TYPE

A telephone booth is an enclosure with a door that provides privacy for the user. Doors are generally folding, but traditional designs in wood or metal that replicate older styles may offer hinged models, and some owners may want the doors omitted. The typical inward-folding door can interfere with accessibility for people with disabilities and with emergency access to an unconscious occupant. Outdoor booths generally omit the floor, facilitating cleaning and exposing paving beneath the booth, or have a floor with a textured metal plate. Indoor booths can omit the floor, exposing the building’s floor, or can have a floor with various finishing options. Outdoor booths with a folding door are reasonably weatherproof for mild storms. Small seats and exhaust ventilation are available options.

Sit-down telephone booths are indoor enclosures with walls, an open entrance, and no roof or door; are generally larger in area than a standard telephone booth in order to provide more comfortable sitting room; and are usually grouped in areas of heavy pedestrian traffic. They are usually shoulder high and include acoustical wall treatment for privacy. One or more units in a cluster are often provided without seating to make them wheelchair accessible. They are well-suited for use in airport lobbies and similar high-volume spaces where wall space is other types of enclosures.

Wall-mounted telephone enclosures consist of a back panel that may be acoustically treated, a surface-mounted or recessed telephone, a writing shelf, and small side panels for privacy. These enclosures provide minimal privacy, and hearing can be difficult in heavy-traffic areas. They generally are not offered as exterior models; pedestal-mounted enclosures are more common for exterior installations. If used on the exterior, these enclosures provide little or no weather protection for the user. Wall-mounted enclosures may be installed singly or in groups.

Pedestal-mounted telephone enclosures are similar to wall-mounted telephone enclosures except that they are mounted on pedestals, not walls. Many models are identical to wall-mounted enclosures. These enclosures provide minimal privacy, and hearing can be difficult in heavy-traffic areas. Exterior models often have roofs with overhead lighting similar to roofs of exterior telephone booths. If used on the exterior, these enclosures provide little or no weather protection for the user. Pedestal-mounted enclosures are often clustered, with two to six enclosures on a pedestal in high-traffic locations where space is limited.

Wall-mounted telephone housings are similar to the back panel of wall-mounted telephone enclosures. Housings are surface mounted, semirecessed, or fully recessed into the wall and have no top or side panels. They are minimal installations that do not provide privacy for the user the way that telephone booths or enclosures do, and hearing is generally difficult in heavy-traffic areas.

Outdoor telephone boxes are wall-, telephone-poll-, or pedestal-mounted, exterior, telephone-set housings with a door to fully enclose a telephone. They are commonly used on campuses, streets, and highways and in remote locations for emergency communication. They can also be locked and used as secure convenience-phone housings, but this use has been replaced by the greater convenience of cellular phones. Outdoor telephone boxes are minimal installations without acoustical treatment, and hearing is generally difficult in heavy-traffic areas. Manufacturers of campus, street, and highway emergency telephones also manufacture these outdoor boxes to house their telephones. If another telephone model will be installed, verify that the box size will fit the telephone.

Telephone kiosks are freestanding walk-up pylons with a telephone, data terminal, or other interactive communication device on one or more sides. Cylindrical, one-, and four- position kiosks are available; some models are large enough for the user to stand within the enclosure. Because of the open nature of this design, most telephone kiosks do not provide privacy, and hearing can be difficult in heavy- traffic areas. Unlike an enclosed telephone booth, these models do not have a roof or other shelter from the elements.

Telephone-directory storage units are often provided near multiple enclosures for indoor telephones rather than within each enclosure. Telephone-directory storage units are designed for walk-up use and contain several directories in stainless-steel binders that swing up and open for use and swing down for storage. Binders are available in various standard widths to suit telephone-directory sizes. Optional accessories include illuminated signs, wastepaper bins, and special lighting.

LASTLY

A useful website for more information is the American Public Communications Council, www.apcc.net.

Yes, you can be heard, even in some remote locations, from wired public telephones if your local wireless network is down or has too few "bars."